The sisters Joni, Debbie and Kim made up Sister Sledge. Kathy, a fourth sister, was another original member but left the ensemble in 1989, according to the group’s website.

The group became famous in 1979 with the Grammy-nominated “We Are Family,” written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers of Chic. The song celebrated familial bonds, became a staple at weddings and was adopted as an unofficial anthem by the Pittsburgh Pirates during their 1979 championship season.

“We Are Family” peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 and topped the R&B and disco charts, Billboard said. The album of the same name reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200.

A younger generation became familiar with the group’s song, “He’s the Greatest Dancer,” when it was famously sampled in Will Smith’s 1998 hit “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It.”

Though their hit-making days were behind them, Sister Sledge remained active. Their next show had been scheduled for March 18 and a series of European performances was planned.

Photos:People we’ve lost in 2017

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Robert Osborne, the film aficionado who was the longtime host of Turner Classic Movies, died on Monday, March 6. He was 84.

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Judge Joseph Wapner, from the popular reality television program “The People’s Court,” died February 26, according to his son Judge Fred Wapner. He was 97.

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Actor Bill Paxton, whose extensive career included films such as “Twister,” “Aliens” and “Titanic,” died February 26, according to a representative for his family. He was 61.

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Clyde Stubblefield, seen here on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” died February 18 at age 73. He was the drummer for James Brown in the 1960s and ’70s. He laid down the groove on such Brown hits as “Cold Sweat,” “Sex Machine” and “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud.” The drum break in the song “Funky Drummer” has been sampled and used in over 1,000 songs.

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Norma McCorvey, the anonymous plaintiff “Jane Roe” in the landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, died February 18, a priest close to her family said in a statement. Multiple media sources said she was 69. In this photo from 1989, McCorvey is on the left holding hands with attorney Gloria Allred. Roe v. Wade was the 1973 case that established a constitutional right to abortion. McCorvey once supported the pro-choice movement but switched sides in 1995.

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Al Jarreau, the jazz-pop musician best known for the hits “Breakin’ Away,” “We’re in This Love Together” and the theme song to the popular 1980’s TV show, “Moonlighting,” died February 12, according to posts on his verified social-media accounts. He was 76.

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Actor Richard Hatch, who was known for his role as Captain Apollo in the original “Battlestar Galactica” series that ran from 1978-1979, died Tuesday, February 7, according to his manager Michael Kaliski. The 71-year-old actor had been battling pancreatic cancer, according to a statement from his family. Hatch played Tom Zarek in the show remake that started in 2003.

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John Hurt, the British actor who garnered Oscar nominations for his roles in “Midnight Express” and “The Elephant Man,” died January 27, his publicist said. He was 77.

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Actress Mary Tyler Moore, whose eponymous 1970s series helped usher in a new era for women on television, died January 25, according to her longtime representative Mara Buxbaum. She was 80.

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Eugene A. Cernan, the last astronaut to leave his footprints on the surface of the moon, died January 16, NASA said. He was 82.

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Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, a pro wrestler known for his high-flying leap off the ring’s top rope, died on January 15. He was 73.

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Author and filmmaker William Peter Blatty, who scared millions with the best-selling novel and Oscar-winning movie “The Exorcist,” died January 12 from a form of blood cancer called multiple myeloma, his widow said. He was 89.

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Veteran war correspondent Clare Hollingworth, who broke the news that World War II had started, died on January 10. She was 105.

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Alfonso Wong, the creator of Asia’s iconic “Old Master Q” comic strip, died January 1, according to the publisher of the comic. He was 93.